Big Mac

Macbeth is a bloody good play. It's got enough sinister twists and turns to get a Minotaur worried. Magdelen College School have endeavoured to bring Shakespeare's 'Scottish Play' crashing into the 1950's to cause havoc amidst the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Macbeth is turned into 'Jack', a struggling actor about to hit the big time, assisted by superstar 'Dan'. His girlfriend, 'Kitty', stays at home, frustrated by his lack of success and takes matters into her own hands, hiring private detective 'Duffy'. I particularly enjoyed the evolution of the three Witches into three 'Agents' who oversaw the action on stage, poisonously interrupting to 'direct' the lives unfolding before us.'Kitty' is played brilliantly, her descent into insanity subtle and quirky. The famed 'Out Damn Spot' speech, cleverly morphed into a downtrodden, maddened 50's housewife tirade, was a pleasing little touch. The 'Agents' were delightfully creepy and kept in character well, even when not an integral part of the scene. Altercations and murders are pretty much a given in 'The Scottish Play' and Big Mac is no different. There are some fabulously choreographed fight scenes and here, again, Kitty steals the show. I defy anyone not to wince as she is dragged about by her hair.Equally, Macbeth is about hatred, madness and a driving passion to get ahead and, unfortunately, the performance falls a little flat here. 'Jack' is, well, just very bland and boring, even when he loses his temper. He's like a lost little boy rather than a ruthless conniver. Emotion across the whole cast needed to be lifted really, with 'Kitty' being the only one who pushed close to going over the edge. Another bugbear I have is attention to detail. If you're going to do a period piece, it's essential you get it right. For example, trying to convince your audience that The Scotsman is the LA Times, and that flyers for your own show are incriminating photos is never going to work. Any authenticity your performance gained just flew out of the window and it's frankly insulting as a paying audience member to be expected to suspend belief purely because of the prop person's lack of effort. Oh, and jeans and a t-shirt do not a 50's costume make.Towards the finale, the narrative veers away from the original Shakespeare leaving the ending somewhat abrupt and with lots of loose ends; there is never a mention of the plays namesake 'Big Mac'. It's a shame because, otherwise, this is very well written. There are some darkly comic moments here that, with better delivery, would have an audience in stitches. It's a nice re-working but maybe it would be prudent to take Shakespeare's lead and stick to the original plot. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!